Portable disinfecting apparatus.



No. 689,957. Patented Dec. 31,1901.

' w. H. FRANCIS.

PORTABLE DISINFEGTING APPARATUS.

(Application filed May 6, 1901.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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\VILLIAM H. FRANCIS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PORTABLE DlSlNFECTlNG APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 689,957, dated December 31, 1901.

Application filed May 6,1901. Serial No. 58,861. (No model.)

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. FRANCIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefullrnprovements in Portable Disinfeoting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to that form of disinfecting apparatus which is mounted upon wheels, so as to be readily transported from place to place when so required, and in such connection it relates to the construction and arrangement of the car or cage especially useful in such form of apparatus, together with the means for guiding the car or cage into the disinfecting-chamber of the apparatus and removing it therefrom.

The nature and scope of myinvention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevational view illustrating a portion of the apparatus and showing the car, the external section of track, and means for adjusting said external track-section, all embodying main features of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the car removed from the track and disinfecting-chamber. Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is an end elevational view of the means for adjusting the external track-section, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view showing the connection between the external and internal track-sections.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the cylindrical shell constituting the disinfecting-chamber of the apparatus. This shell Ct is mounted upon a suitable truck a and wheels a (partly shown,) so as to be readily transported from place to place, as required. The interior of the shell a is adapted to receive a cage or car I) of the following preferred construction. At either end of the cage or car b is arranged a rigid frame B, having vertical sides I), a rounded bottom 5 and substantially flat top b These frames B are covered by a wire netting or screen 13. Intermediate of the end frames 13 is arranged one or more frames B, of substantially the construction of the frames B, but not closed by netting. The end frames B and intermediate frame or frames B are connected together by longitudinally-arranged braces b and the bottom and side portions of the skeleton frame thus formed are closed by wire-netting t. There is thus formed a cage having its ends, sides, and bottom closed by wirenetting, but having its top open to permit of the introduction of the articles to be disinfected into the interior of the car or cage 1?, as well as the ready removal of said articles therefrom. Each of the sides of.the car or cage 1) is provided with a series of Wheels or rollers (1, adapted to travel on the tracks a arranged on the interior of the shell a. The internal track-sections a are fixed with relationship to the sides of the chamber 0t, and the car or cage Z) will when the wheels d reach said tracks a be guided into the interior of the chamber Ct and suitably supported therein, to be subjected to the action of the disinfecting-gases forced into the interior of said chamber a. When, however, the car or cage 1) is to be wholly or partly Withdrawn from the chamber aas, for instance, to fill the cage or to remove the articles therefrom-- the car or cage 1) must travel upon and be supported by an external track-section. This external track-section should be so constructed and arranged that it can be readily connected with or disconnected from the internal tracksection a and provided with means whereby it may be brought into exact alinement with the internal track-section. This latter requirement is necessary by reason of the fact that the shell or is supported upon the truck and wheels, which travel over uneven roadways, and hence said shell Ct is rarely supported in a true horizontal plane.

The following preferred construction of external track-section and the means for leveling said track-section to aline with the interior track-section meets the foregoing requirements. The external track-section consists of two parallel tracks 6, each formed, preferably, of angle-iron or steel, having a horizontal tread portion e and a vertical supporting portion 6 As illustrated in Fig. 5, in the interior of shell a, adjacent to the outer ends of each of the tracks a is arranged a bracket tion of the tracks a pin f, engaging a slot 6 formed in the veror support f, into which the inner ends of the tracks e are adapted to fit to form a continua- The bracket f has a ing 9 projecting from a plate 9 Set-screws g g serve as a means of adjustment of each shaft 9 in the bearing 9 in a vertical plane and also serve when the shaft g is adjusted to lock the shaft to the bearing 9 Each plate g is provided on either side of the tubu la r bearing 9 with oppositely-curved slots 9 through which project threaded pins g located at the upper end of the standards g". A thun1b=nut g engages each pin g to lock the plate g to the standard 9".

In operation the height of the ends of the tracks '6 may be increased or decreased by adjusting the threaded shafts g in their bearings 9 The necessary dip or inclination of one or both of the tracks e may be accomplished by unloosening the nuts 9 and turning the plates g on their slotted connections with the standards 9 Should the external track-section ebe of considerable length, each track may be braced or supported intermediate of its ends by a truss-like brace k, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a portable disinfecting apparatus, a disinfectingchamber, a truck and wheels supporting said chamber, a fixed internal track-section arranged along the sides of the chamber, an external track-section comprising two tracks, each adapted at one end to connect with a corresponding track of the internal track-section, two blocks each adapted to receive and support the free end of one of the external tracks, a separate standard for each block, interposed between said block and the ground and means for adjusting each block upon its standard independently of the other block and standard and in a vertical or horizontal plane.

2. The means for adjusting the tracks of an external track-section of a portable disinfectin g apparatus,comprising a block for each track grooved to receive the free end of said track, a transverse bar upon the ends of which the blocks are supported, a plate provided with a tubular bearing located beneath each block, a shaft connecting each plate with an end of the transverse bar, said shaft adjust= able in the bearing of said plate, a standard interposed between each plate and the ground, and means for inclining said plates in their respective standards.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature in the presence of two subscribin g witnesses. I

WILLIAM H. FRANCIS.

Witnesses:

J. WALTER DOUGLASS, THOMAS M. SMITH. 

